Archenemy
by WalamaCada
Summary: Rage and the rest of the Crew, along with a few other companions, must find and defeat their ultimate enemy, but first they have to find out who it is. (oooo spooookyyy!)
1. They're Back

**Ok, first chapter, so let me know what you think! I feel like I kinda just spewed words onto a page hoping it turned out ok. **

* * *

It was way too hot for this shit, she mused, panting through the stifling tunnels. That bastard has some explaining to do, summoning me all the way from The Rock. Twelve days it had taken her. Twelve goddamn days. "Maybe I can retire early, set up a nice hole in The Rock, not return anyone's calls. . ." Yeah, that would be nice. Just a hole to herself, no one to serve.

That was almost too perfect.

Nothing could be heard or seen, but then her hand was on the hilt of her knife, the blade halfway out of the sheath. A hand landed on her elbow, stalling her. She spun around, quick as silver, and the knife was in the air, just barely missing the man's masked face. She came out of her stance smiling.

"You could've killed me, Ammy."

"Yeah, but I didn't, did I?" She noticed the blood covering the man's left arm. "Yours?"

"Is it ever?" He returned. She could almost see the smile beneath the mask covering his mouth. She shrugged in response, walking towards her knife. The man watched her with curiosity, wondering if that had been mere happenstance or if she really _had_ thought that he was an enemy, and had simply missed at the last second.

Shadows enveloped her as she pulled her knife out of the wall. Chips of stone bounced away from her boots as she walked back to the man, holding her knife triumphantly. Something large and furry was attached to the blade, still squirming in its death throes.

"Do you think Aylia likes rat?"

* * *

"So, why did he summon us this time?"

"Who knows? Maybe he needs more test subjects." A smile that seemed more like a grimace crossed the shorter man's face.

"I hope not. It's always so unpleasant when I have to kill humans that don't fight back." This voice came from directly behind the two men, female and out of place with the body that followed. Graceful, burnt gold paws streaked with black padded along the tunnel floor. A large, dull pink nose sniffed the air, giving off the impression of distaste.

The blonde man gave the feline a pat on the head and adjusted his goggles, seeming out of place with the dark underground. "Let's get this over with as quickly as possible. And hopefully we don't have to kill anything this time," muttered Fluke. Evanz nodded in agreement, stuffing his hands deeper into the pockets of his light blue jacket.

The three continued walking in silence, casting wary glances all around them, still unfamiliar with the morbid atmosphere. Their shuffled footsteps echoed and bounced off of the walls, making it seem as though there were ten others behind them. Fluke cast a worried glance at the lantern he held. It was their only source of light, and the oil was running out, slowly but surely.

The tunnel branched off into two others, seemingly without warning. The other two looked identical to the one they were in, but would lead to very different places. Fluke turned to make a comment, but stopped when he noticed that the giant feline was several paces behind. The fur on the back of her neck stood up, somehow making her look both ferocious and unwilling to take another step.

"Something wrong?" Fluke asked.

* * *

"Hold this," said Ammy, holding out her knife and giving no explanation. Hollow took it, complete with still-twitching rat, and didn't ask why. Knowing her, she wouldn't give an answer until she had completed whatever she was about to do. A mischievous grin became her smile as she took off running down the tunnel, changing as she went. Clothes disappeared and were replaced by white fur. Normal, human features became a long muzzle, tongue hanging out on one side. Wings sprouted out of her shoulder blades and were quickly pinned against her lupine body as she ran.

Hollow continued to walk slowly down the tunnel, making no sound. He had an idea of what was about to happen, but he couldn't be sure that he had walked far enough yet. Was the intersection this close already?

* * *

A large white shape came skidding out of the darkness of the rightmost tunnel, causing Fluke's feline companion to jerk back with a yowl. Fluke and Evanz winced simultaneously as the sound echoed throughout all three tunnels, alerting anything nearby of their presence. The wolf in front of them gave a friendly yap, getting an angry hiss from the large feline and a warm smile from Fluke. Evanz nervously pushed some hair back away from his eyes, still anxious about the potential enemies they might have notified with all the sound they were making.

Hollow soon appeared right behind the she-wolf, who was just now changing back into human form, chuckling. Ammy took something from Hollow, taking care to hide it from the rest of the group. Evanz raised an eyebrow at the secrecy, but didn't comment. (No one commented on the eyebrow-raise because it was completely hidden by hair.)

"Yes Fluke, there is something wrong. This mangy_ ruffian_ is here." Fluke's feline companion sat back and gave a calming lick to her shoulder, flattening the spiked up fur. Fluke gave a hearty laugh, completely at home with his friends despite the chilly underground that was very much alien to Fluke's natural home.

A shadow stepped out of the darkness of the left tunnel. Clean-cut black shapes lined with red gave a general impression of his figure, but nothing else was revealed just yet.

"Was anyone followed?" The shadow asked. Everyone shook their heads no, Hollow offering up his blood drenched arm as proof that he hadn't been followed. "Good," said the shadow, finally stepping into the dim light. Black, tousled hair framed a pale face, and ember red eyes peered out from behind slightly tinted shades. His garb looked formal to the rest, but this outfit was his everyday wear, excluding the black hiking boots that he wore only on visits to the tunnels. "Let's get down to business then."

"This better not be another bullshit murder you bastard," said Hollow.

"Or another collection of test subjects," piped up Fluke, referring to his earlier conversation.

"No, it's not," said yet another voice from the shadows behind Rage. A rather tall woman dressed in leathers stepped up to the group. Her skin was an odd mix of human and reptilian, a smooth tan here, a patch of rough, golden brown skin there, with splotches of black in a pattern down her entire body.

"Hello, Aylia!" said Ammy cheerfully, holding out her knife at long last. "Care for some rat?" Aylia's dark brown eyes flicked to the small mammal, then back to Ammy.

"No, thank you Ammy," said Aylia, her calm expression never changing to one of disgust or other emotions. Ammy shrugged, then flicked the rat over to Fluke's side of the room, where it was swallowed in one large gulp by his feline friend, followed shortly by a satisfied lick of the lips.

"We have more important matters to discuss than a mere snack," continued Aylia, reaching into a back pocket and throwing something onto the ground in the middle of the room. The object was met by silence, broken by Rage once he was sure everyone had gotten a good look.

"They're back."

* * *

**Also, I should probably mention that I still don't know what to call Fluke's feline friend (she's an ocelot by the way) Any ideas anyone?**


	2. Dreamcatcher

**Huge thanks goes out to my editor, Amelia! She helped tons! (Also, Fluke's feline companion is now known as Nora)**

* * *

They all had their individual scars from before. Ammy had three parallel lines running from her left shoulder to her right hip. Evanz and Fluke both had marks from fire. Most of Rage's leg had been replaced with metal. All of them had subtle scars of arrow wounds, whip lashes, and imprisonment.

The hair on the back of Nora's neck stood back up again as she backed away from the object on the floor, her lips drawing back to reveal her fangs as she did so. A growl just barely at the edge of hearing made the already ominous tunnels seem downright threatening. Ammy stepped forward to crouch next to the object. Her smile had disappeared as soon as she had seen it sailing through the air. It was a coin no larger than a Pinebird, colored a blackish gold, as if it had been tossed in a fire and charred. An imprint of a firedrake could just barely be seen curving around the hole in the center.

"Is it still active?" asked Hollow, his voice barely above a whisper in case other. . .things were listening.

"No. It was deactivated by the insider before we discovered him," replied Rage.

"Interrogation?" inquired Fluke.

"He killed himself before we could."

Ammy, who had been completely silent this entire time, muttered a few choice curses in her home language, making sure the rest of the group couldn't understand. Her mouth was in a tight line, her coal-black eyes as hard as obsidian. Hollow knelt next to her and made to pick it up, but as soon as his fingers got close, dark purple streaks of lightning shot out of the coin, making him draw back. He shot an accusatory glare at Rage, who looked completely baffled.

"I. . I don't understand. I saw him destroy it. Aylia was able to pick it up!"

"That's because I'm not entirely human, Rage."

"Changers weren't able to pick it up before," said Evanz. "It didn't matter if they weren't entirely human."

Nora padded up to the coin and gingerly poked it with one claw. Small shoots of lightning made it all the way up to her elbow. Evanz's (hidden) eyebrows crinkled with confusion.

"Nora, you're not a changer," said Fluke, kneeling next to her and putting an arm around her shoulders.

"No, but I was there when we overthrew them."

Hollow got out a piece of cloth from his back pocket, using it as a protective barrier between himself and the coin. The lightning shot out again, seeking contact, but it never got past the improvised protection.

"Wait, so it doesn't work on you because you weren't there? Even though you were still imprisoned?" asked Fluke, still slightly confused.

"It would seem so." And then a polite, quiet "Excuse me" as Aylia shrunk down to normal lizard size. Her body was a blur as she crawled up Rage's pant leg and hid in his coat pocket.

"Where are you going to take it?" Asked Rage, gesturing to the coin now resting in Hollow's palm.

"A friend who never got imprisoned."

"What? How did he manage to avoid all the. . " Unable to come up with a suitable word, Fluke smashed his hands together in a very tangled up mess to describe what he meant. All he got in return was a shrug and a "He wouldn't say" from over the shoulder. Hollow's form receded into the dark, unaware of his friends casting anxious glances at each other.

"I'll let you all know if anything happens," said Rage. Everyone nodded in agreement that they would do the same. Noticing how low the oil was in Fluke's lantern, Rage handed him a spare flask of the valuable liquid. Fluke took it gratefully, and headed back down the tunnel, Evanz and Nora quickly following suit.

Rage's thoughts turned back to the last time they were defeated, wondering if something could have been done differently. Maybe if he had-

"No one's to blame," said Ammy, as if reading his thoughts. Rage blinked, only now just realizing that she was still here. She had a good knack for staying hidden in plain sight despite her pale appearance. She held his stare for a moment longer, then headed off down the tunnel to catch up with Hollow.

* * *

Ammy changed in order to catch up with Hollow. He had gotten a good head start when everyone else was still digesting the information that had been handed to them on a silver platter. Dammit, why'd they have to come back now? Her thoughts traveled to her home in The Rock, where some of the younger changelings didn't know what war was. Or the hell that it could produce. It won't come to that. It can't come to that.

Hollow was waiting for her, stepped off to the side so she wouldn't crash into him. She dove into a roll and came to her feet in human form, and instantly started walking so that she and Hollow were shoulder to shoulder.

Hollow could practically feel the anger and determination radiating off of his friend in waves. The last time hadn't been a good experience for any of them, but for her especially. She never talked about it, never mentioned it to anyone. The only reason Hollow knew about her destroyed home was because he had been there to discover it with her. He was also the one who had suggested The Rock as a place for her people. It came nowhere close to what the Singing Mountain had been to her, to all of them, but that place was long gone.

"You ever going to wash that blood off?" asked Ammy, still staring straight ahead.

"Eventually." He had been hoping to get a smile at least, but he only got a small grunt of acknowledgement. "Hey." Hollow put a hand on her arm to stall her. "No one is going to die. Not this time."

She closed her eyes a gave a small sigh. "I just hope it doesn't come to that." Ammy raised her eyes to Hollow's. She gave Hollow a tired smile, then continued down the tunnel, with Hollow close behind.

* * *

Rage didn't notice the bend in the tunnel until the last minute, when Aylia's voice piped up to warn him of the oncoming impact. He managed to pull himself out of his thoughts and take a good look at his surroundings, trying to determine if he had missed the opening.

"So, what did you make of that?" asked Rage, referencing their conversation with their friends. Aylia chose to reply with heavy sarcasm.

"I made out a wall in the distance and decided to warn you before you crushed me in your pocket."

"You know what I meant." Aylia was silent for a few moments, thinking her answer through carefully.

"They all had appropriate reactions. Hollow's idea is a good one, but I'm not entirely sure it will take us anywhere."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He might've allowed himself to be caught." Now it was Rage's turn to be silent. A grimace replaced the expressionless face that had been there previously.

"I was thinking the same thing."

* * *

It was silently agreed that Ammy would stay with Hollow for the time being. The Rock was too far away to do anything if the others decided to attack, and if Rage or any of their other friends wished to inform them of anything, only one message would have to be sent.

And besides, if anyone threatened them, there was an extra set of paws to contribute to the violence.

Their footsteps made no sound, but if anything else had been in the tunnel with them, they would've been noticed. The coin in Hollow's pocket, still wrapped in cloth, was constantly emitting shoots of lightning, creating a subtle buzzing sound. Ammy had offered up more cloth to silence it with, but Hollow refused. If they were going to be attacked, it didn't matter if they were making a minute amount of noise. Any enemies in these tunnels would probably smell them before hearing them.

The tunnel branched off into two others quite abruptly. The only thing separating them from looking identical was the scattering of crushed bluestone in the leftmost route. Hollow started jogging down that path, never slowing his pace, but Ammy's sudden absence stalled him. He looked back and saw that she was staring down the other tunnel. He paused to listen for anything out of the ordinary. The echo of wind and the distant plink of water further down. Nothing to suggest enemies or otherwise.

He walked over to where Ammy stood, silent and still, and followed her gaze further down the tunnel. A small object, perfectly circular in the center with feathers and other bits of materials splayed out on the ground around it, sat almost artistically, deliberately. It was a dream catcher, but it was more than that.

It was the first attack.

* * *

**Dun dun duuuuuuun!**


End file.
